Feed-bag.



No; 853,875. PATENTED MAY 14. 1907.

' A. B. HAMILTON.

FEED BAG.

APPLICATION FILED D130 10, 190.

THI Norms PsrzR's cm, wAsmNaroN, n. c.

UTTE STATES PTENT OFFICE.

ADDINGTON B. HAMILTON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR OF TWO.-THIRDS TO JAMES F. OBRIEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED-BAG- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADDINGTON B. HAMIL- TON, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Feed- Bags, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to bags from which draft animals may be fed whileaway from the stable and standing harnessed to a ve hicle.

The principal object of the invention is to construct such a bag so thatthe animal cannot by any possibility, by quick motions of its head,throw the grain out of the bag and on the ground.

The feed bags ordinarily used are nothing more than buckets of canvas ormetal in which the feed of grain is poured to a depth of several inches,and which must be large enough about the rims to enable the horses jawsto move freely in eating. Consequently when such a bag is hung over ahorsefs head, the depth of the grain causes the bottom of the bag to liea considerable distance below the lips of the horse, and as a result,after part of the grain has been consumed, the level of the grainremaining is lowered so far that it cannot be gathered by the lips ofthe horse. Accordingly the only way which the horse can get this graininto his mouth is by tossing his head and thereby throwing the grainupward. Although this has the effect of enabling the horse to get alittle grain, nevertheless the larger proportion is thrown out throughthe space between the rim of the bag and the horses head, and is lost.The pecuniary loss to teamsters and others who have horses out at workdaily is considerable, but the greatest loss results from the lack ofefficiency and loss of strength to the animal from insufiicient feeding.This not only makes the horse incapable of doing the normal amount ofwork during the afternoon,

but effects a permanent injury in the long run. Sometimes also eitherthrough accident or in the attempt to diminish the waste of the feed,the feed-bag is hung so high as to bury the horses nose in the grain,making breathing difficult. Then in order to obtain relief, the horsethrows his head about, and the same result of loss of the grain follows.

My invention has the double effect of making loss of the grainimpossible in case the horse should move his head suddenly, and ofmaking such movements unnecessary for securing a mouthful at any timeuntil the grain is entirely consumed.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a feed bag with an externalreservoir through which grain is fed into the bag a little at a time asit is consumed, and also by providin a device for closing the top of thebag around the horses head, while freely permitting the movement of thejaws necessary for eating.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 represents a feed-bag in elevation as it appears when in use.Fig. 2 represents an elevation of the bag alone, on a larger scale. Fig.3 represents a perspective view of the bag. Fig. 4 represents a sectionof the bag on line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 55of Fig. 4.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

The bag is made with a stiff bottom a and a tubular body 6 of which theupper portion a is flexible, and adapted to be gathered closely aboutthe jaws of the horse when in use. Preferably the body portion isentirely made from a piece of flexible fabric, such as canvas or duck,tacked at the lower edge to the sides of the bottom a and the ends sewedtogether by a seam d at the back of the bag.

It is to be understood, however, that other materials may equally Wellbe used, and it is within the contemplation of the invention to make thebottom of the body of non-corrodible metal or some other material whichwill not be injured by moisture, and the upper part of a flexiblefabric.

Around the top 0 of the bag somewhat below the rim thereof passes aflexible band e which is led through loops f and g at the front andback, and through rings or other comparatively frictionless guides h c'at the sides. At each side of the bag there are two of these guides,which, when rings are used, pass through holes in a plate of strongtextile fabric or metal suitably secured to the body of the bag. Betweenthe guides 77. 'L at each side of the bag, the band 6 is connected to ahead-band k which passes over the horses head and serves to support thebag in place. If desired, the band e, which is preferably a cord, may belong enough so that a bight on it led from between the rings h i, maypass entirely over the animals head, but I prefer to make the band is inthe form of a separate strap which is connected to bights e e of thecord e as shown in Fig. 3. As will be evident, the weight of the bag issupported by the band a which is caused, by

reason ofthe guides 7t and i, to press inward on all parts of theperiphery of the bag and draw the rim thereof close about the horseshead, thus closing the space through which the grain might be thrownout. The tension of the cord, however, does not interfere with themovement of the jaws in eating, because the weight of the bag and thefeed produce a yielding pull whereby the cord e is adapted to give whenthe jaws are opened.

Extending from the rear of the bag is a receptacle Z in which the feedof grain is placed. This receptacle extends through an unsewed part ofthe seamd and is stitched to the adjacent portions m n of the bag bodyI). There is thus formed an orifice 0 through which the grain may runfrom the receptacle into the bag. By suitably cutting and fitting, theorifice may be made of any dimensions between a circle or ellipse and amere slit, so that as free or as restricted a flow of the grain asrequired may be obtained. The upper end 1) of the receptacle is closedand is ad apted to be hung from a part of the harness 01 the animal,such as the hames. Preferably the attachment between the receptacle andthe hame consists of a spring (1 having an eye g, the spring beingadapted to yield and prevent the receptacle being torn or the attachmentwith the hame broken when the horse lowers his head quickly.

In filling the bag, the feed of grain is first poured into the bag andis then poured through the opening 0 into the receptacle Z, leaving thebody portion practically empty. The bag is then hung over the horseshead with the bottom a close to the lips of the animal, and the grainruns through the aperture 0 substantially as fast as it is consumed. Inorder that all the grain may not be discharged immediately from thereceptacle, the latter is made with a sagging portion Z which lies belowthe bottom a of the bag when the horses head is raised, and retains aconsiderable quantity of grain. In order to get this grain into the mainportion of the bag, it is only necessary for the horse to lower hishead.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the construction of myimproved feed-bag is such as to render tossings of the head of theanimal unnecessary for securing grains, ince the fact that the grain iscontained in the receptacle Z enables the bottom of the bag to be hungwithin reach of the lips or tongue of the animal. Restive or uneasyhorses who toss their heads from habit, however, are unable to throw outthe grain, because of the band 6 which closes the top of the bag, and

which is drawn tighter by the inertia of the bag whenever the horseraises his head quickly. As the bottom of the bag is hung so near theend oi the horses nose, there is very little play, and consequently themomentum of the bag at the end ol an upward movement cannot cans: asullieient relaxation of the band 0 as to permit opening of a space wideenough. to emit the grain. This result is permitted because the grain iseontained in the receptacle Z.

I claim 1. Aieed-bag having a band separate from the body of the bagsurrounding the upper portion thereof, and a supporting band connectedwith the surrounding band.

2. A feed-bag having supporting means adapted to pass over the head ofan animal, and gathering means passing around the bag and connected withthe supporting nnans, adapted to be drawn inward by the pull of thesupporting means to restrict the opening of the bag.

3. A feed-bag comprising a main body, an external receptacle for grainadapted to l'eed its contents gradually into the body, whereby the depthof grain in the bag may be kept always at a low point, and a hanger forthe bag having connected encircling means extending around the upperportion of the body adapted to draw the rim thereof inward.

4. A feed-bag comprising a main body, a hanger adapted to support thebag, a connected external member passing about the upper part of the bagconnected to said hanger, and guides through which said member ispassed, whereby a pull on the hanger causes it to draw the rim inward,and an. external receptacle having an opening into the bag, adapted tocontain. grain. and to admit the same in small quantities to the mainportion of the bag, whereby the bag may be hung from the head of a horsewith elimination of capacity for up-and-down play.

5. A feedbag comprising a main portion adapted to be hung from the headof a draft animal, having a narrow slit at the r an, and an elongatedreceptacle with a narrow outlet at one end secured to the main portionat the sides of such slit, the end opposite to theoutlet being adaptedto be hung from a portion of the harness at a distance from the animal'shead, whereby a ll'lOVOD'lODi] of the main portion in a direction suchas to pull on. the reeeptacle will draw the sides of the slit togetherand contract the outlet of the receptacle.

6. A feed-bag comprising a main portion having a partly sewed seam atthe rear side, an elongated external receptacle closed at one end andhaving a narrow outlet at the other end, said outlet end being passedthrough the unsewed portion of said seam and fastened to the adjacentedges of the main portion, the said main. portion oi the bag beingadapted to be hung from the head otan animal, and

ury.

7 A feed-bag having external guides, a band passing around the bagthrough said guides, and a hanger extending from said v band betweenadjacent guides at opposite sides of the bag, adapted to be passed overthe head of a draft animal and to support the bag, the pull of thehanger being changed in direction by said guides and causing the band tobe drawn inward, restricting the opening of the bag.

8. A feed-bag having a pair of adjacent guides on opposite sides, agathering band passing externally about the bag and led through saidguides, and a supporting .band or strap connected to the portions of thegathering band between the guides of each pair, adapted to support theweight of the bag and in so doing, to draw 0H portions of the gatheringband and tighten the latter about the bag, restricting the openingthereof.

9. A feed-bag, a plate secured at opposite points on the sides thereof,guide rings attached to the plates, a cord passing around the bagthrough the guide rings, and a strap connected to the cord betweenadjacent rings, adapted to pass over the head of a draftanimal andsupport the bag.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ADDINGTON B. HAMILTON.

Witnesses: 1 ARTHUR H. BROWN, A. C. RATIGAN.

